The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
BA (Hons) Production Technologies and Stage Management
London, United Kingdom
BA
DURATION
3 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
TUITION FEES
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
Key Summary
On the BA Production Technologies and Stage Management programme, you will:
- Gain practical experience on Central’s public productions, collaborating with performers, directors, makers, and designers
- Build a complete understanding of the performance-making process and learn professional skills, sustainable and inclusive practice
- Our specialist training in performance technologies prepares you for a range of different roles across live performance
- Build a professional portfolio of work alongside extensive opportunities to build a network of industry contacts
You will learn practical and critical-thinking skills in preparation for a career in theatre and live event production. The program is ideal if you identify as an aspiring stage or technical manager, lighting or sound specialist, or all-round production technician.
The first year builds core knowledge of technical theatre processes, with key skills developed through workshops, seminars, and hands-on projects. Learning is underpinned by industry knowledge, health & safety, and equitable and ethical frameworks. In the second year, you will undertake specialist roles such as show-calling, mixing for musicals or lighting programming, collaborating with peers, and visiting professional practitioners. The program enables flexibility for focusing on a particular area or shifting between disciplines, creating a bespoke learning journey.
The third year enables you to develop a deeper understanding of contemporary professional practices through rigorous research, industry placements, and high-responsibility roles in Central’s public productions. Achieving the honors degree demonstrates significant specialist and transferable skills, and also opens the door to potential further study at the postgraduate level.
Throughout, you will explore the latest industry approaches to inclusive and sustainable working practices, and new technologies in the production environment.
Central offers a range of bursaries and scholarships. If you are holding an offer for a place on a course then you will be invited to apply for a bursary or scholarship.
UK-based undergraduate students who are applying for a student maintenance loan and have a household income under £35,000 will automatically be awarded our Access to Central Bursary.
Year 1
In your first year, students will learn foundational skills across a number of production techniques for live performances and events, developing knowledge in either lighting design & production, sound design, AV, stage management to stage technologies. You will develop their creative practices and learn specialist skills enabling you to either become an interdisciplinary partitioner within a few of these areas or a specific specialist within one or two areas.
- Performance and Production Skills You will explore London’s theatre and performance scene as a resource for learning and developing your cultural awareness of the industry. You will develop critical analysis skills needed to read and understand current professional practices. You will further develop essential production skills in light, sound, stage management, and video and relevant health and safety requirements for these areas.
- Foundations of Creative Practice You will learn the foundations of creative practice, from the history of performance technology to theory and critical analysis. This will help develop research and analytical skills to enable you to work co-creatively and collaboratively on practical projects, either text-based performances or within wider live events categories, alongside practical skills projects in chosen specialisms.
- Creative Practitioners You will focus on learning specialist skills in chosen areas of light, sound, video, stage management or stage technologies. You will work on practical projects as part of a production team with students in other years or programs as part of the Centrals public production program. You will also explore leadership and management and opportunities to practice, documenting your working progress and outcomes.
Year 2
During your second year, you will continue to grow and hone specialist skills and competencies having chosen specific areas of focus, whilst developing key research and analytical skills to support yourself in design and production decisions and begin to explore working in industry.
- Doing Work You will grow your specialist skills in lighting design or production, projection, sound design, stage management, or production technologies as creative practitioners, and explore putting contextual research into practical practice through specialist workshops and working collaboratively on public productions.
- Creative Practitioners Whilst expanding skills and core competencies, you will also learn how to use theoretical and practical research to inform design and/or production decisions.
- Future Practice You will begin to explore industry roles and expectations, examine professional practice models, and identify the transferable skills you are developing.
Year 3
In the final year, you will engage in opportunities such as placements or working on performances to refine your learning within specific specialisms and prepare for industry through the development and documentation of your professional practice.
- Making Work as Creative Practitioners You will further grow your specialist skills as a creative practitioner, expanding your experience through industry placements or working in a production team with other students as lead creative or in management roles.
- Future Practice You will engage in an exhibition, engage in the transferable skills of a production worker, and prepare for working in industry through the development and documentation of your professional practice.